Page 165 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 2

STS479 Nebil D. et al.
business; on the other hand, these technologies have created new problems
we have to solve. While the benefits of these technologies are many, humanity
had to sacrifice a lot, including the environment we live in, which may soon be
detrimental to our very survival on this planet.
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm
in 1972 and the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 were the first examples to focus
on the actions to be taken to alleviate environmental problems and contribute
to the development of the Global South. In year 2000, the endorsement of the
United Nations Millennium Declaration put on the shoulders of decision-
makers in developing nations the task of achieving the eight international
development goals (MDGs) that aimed to improve the well-being and welfare
of their countries.
In 2015, marking another special period in international development
history, the United Nations embarked on the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) for which all countries have pledged to achieve the 17 goals and 169
targets by 2030. Unlike the MDGs, there are challenges for both the
developing and developed countries in implementing the SDGs which in effect
shakes the definition of “developing” and “developed” country.
The implementation of SDGs will understandably be more complex for
economically and technologically disadvantaged countries of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that faced challenges in achieving
the eight MDGs. In this respect, proper planning and careful consideration of
the multidimensional interactions among the SDG targets will be critical in the
accomplishment of SDGs. This exercise should undoubtedly involve national,
regional, and international stakeholders, and requires pertinent prioritization
of the SDGs and targets.
Unlike the MDGs period, the member countries and the relevant OIC fora
acted timely to include the SDGs into their agenda. Being an important forum
of the OIC, the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial
Cooperation of the OIC (COMCEC) has been discussing the SDGs since 2014.
In line with the relevant resolutions of the COMCEC Sessions that have been
held in 2015 and 2016, SESRIC has been tasked with identifying the SDGs
priorities of the OIC countries which will contribute to the operational planning
of the activities to be conducted concerning the SDGs until 2030.
This paper discusses the results obtained from the aforementioned Survey
including the SDG prioritisation, expected SDG achievement levels, limiting
factors on SDGs, national commitments to SDGs, structure of agencies
responsible for SDGs, SDG data availability, cooperation with international
agencies on SDGs, and statistical needs and capacities of OIC countries on
SDGs. This paper also covers the efforts of SESRIC in facilitating (i) the flow of
know-how and experience sharing on issues related to official statistics and
SDGs through its flagship OIC Statistical Capacity Building Programme

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